We're in the final countdown to a monumental milestone year for the Essence Music Festival, hosted by Essence Magazine. And as the final touches are being made for the festival, which celebrates 20 years with headliner Prince, those headed to the festival are gearing up for the weekend. By this time, you've likely gotten your tickets or plan to and are nearly ready for the weekend's festivities.

Don't worry you can still purchase tickets for the musical performances here.

But for those newbies or those needing a refresher, here's a handy guide with everything you need to know about the 2014 Essence Music Festival.

Get empowered. The Essence Empowerment Experience is a free offering of motivational and educational speakers, including politicians, religious leaders, community advocates and celebrities. This series, along with Empower U and Dress Like Success, are offered at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. You know the slogan, "party with a purpose," well, this is where "the purpose" part comes in.

Start your party earlier. And this is some of the party part. Essence Day Parties on Friday and Saturday from 1-5 at the House of Blues start the day of excitement and fun off right. Tickets for both days have been completely sold out. However, you may be able to find tickets for sale on the day of.

Bring the family.Family Day is Thursday at Riverfront Park, 1 Canal Street. Gates open at 11 a.m. and Mary Mary's Erica Campbell, Cupid and Full Force will perform. Enjoy the family-friendly activities until 7 p.m.

Getting around like a pro. Essence Fest venues are within walking distance for guests who stay in the French Quarter and Central Business District. For those in outlying areas, public transit is available. The Regional Transit Authority operates streetcars and buses. (The regular fare is $1.25 per person, 40 cents for seniors with ID. Also, one-day Jazzy Passes are $3; three-day passes are $9.) For details, visit norta.com.

Where to eat? Anywhere! It's New Orleans! But if you need a list to dine in style, we've got you covered. For a roundup of the food vendors at Essence Fest, click here.

What to wear? For the evening performances, people dress to the nines with sky-high heels. During the day, you want to wear clothing that breathes. The New Orleans heat and humidity is no joke. Find out more in our "five tips for getting the most of your Essence Fest."

Hair forecast: For Thursday, weather.com forecasts the high will be sunny at 96 degrees with a partly cloudy low of 76 degrees at night. With a 20 percent chance of rain, still bring an umbrella. You know you just got your hair done. Don't play. Friday and Saturday look to be comparable to Thursday, but Sunday, the chance of precipitation increases to 30 percent with possible isolated thunderstorms.

Be social. Take lots of photos and tag them with #essencefest. Your tweets and photos may show up on the #EssenceFest site online and flash across the social wall at the Convention Center. Make sure to follow @nolanews and @nolafests on Twitter and on Instagram, and tweet us your best pics and messages!